Chapter 9

"I believe, my love, that you left our head of security speechless." Joseph confessed, "I've never known Shades to be speechless."

"Did it bother you?" Clarisse squeezed his hand as they made their way through the now deserted hall to her office.

"Not in the least. I rather enjoyed it. Tell me, what are you plans?"

"After I have tea with my handsome husband, I'm sure Charlotte has a few things for me to take care of." Clarisse nodded at the guards to open the doors before them.

"I was wandering...Would you mind having tea while you work?" Clarisse stopped to raise a brow at him, wandering what was on his mind. "Well, it's just that I prefer to have you alone for awhile, and I thought that maybe if..." She pulled his head to hers, meeting their lips in another passionate kiss.

Pulling away, leaving him totally breathless, Clarisse enquired, "Maybe if what, my dear?"

"Ahh," Joseph, having lost all sense of rational thinking, tried to bring to mind his intentions. "Ah, I believe I, ah, somehow wanted more of that."

"Mmm," she replied, walking around her desk, sitting across from her dumbstruck husband. "I see. You'd like for me to do my job as quickly as possible, and spend some quality time with you."

"Yes, I believe that was exactly what was on my mind," Joseph answered, leaning across her desk, so very close to her face.

"Well, let me enquire as to my workload...and we'll see how quickly you and I can run away together." Clarisse buzzed for Charlotte, staring at the huge grin on her husband's face. "Tell me, my dear husband, do you have plans for me?"

"Yes, oh yes, my love. I definitely have plans."

"And might I ask what those plans are," she whispered, drawing herself even closer to him.

"I am going to take you to bed, exactly like last night, only this time you and I are not going to just sleep together."

"OH? What will we be doing?" She whispered again, being very serious.

"You and I will be touching each other like there's no tomorrow." Joseph had heard Charlotte's heels even before he began to speak. Still, he answered her, in his most seductive voice, slightly embarrassing his Queen, yet exciting his wife like he had never seen her before.

"Excuse me," Charlotte cleared her throat and blushed at the same time she spoke. "I'm sorry, but Your Majesty, the Princess bids you to return. It seems they have run into some sort of problem."

"OH damn." Charlotte was quite shocked to hear her Queen like this. There had only been a few trying times when she had heard her become this upset.

"I'll be right there, Charlotte."

"Yes, ma'am." Her heels clicking on the tiled floor as she left the two to be alone.

"Joseph, I'm..."

"Don't say it," he placed his finger over her lips, quieting her apology. "I promise you, I am not going anywhere. I will be in your...no, our suite when you get done." Joseph placed his hands on her cheeks, pressing his lips to hers. "I'll be counting the minutes until we can be together again," he whispered. He kissed her once more, turned and left.

"The trade agreement clearly states that ALL countries have access to the shipping lanes in that area," Queen Clarisse pointed out to the tall, dark-skinned man, the representative sent on behalf of the terrorist organization. "There will be no weeding out of anyone. That is not only costly, aggravating, and time-consuming, but it happens to be the coward's way out of a situation." She spoke loudly, her anger surfacing, pointing to the man standing at the far end of the table. She leaned against the smooth wood surface, realizing that she was surprising even herself.

Earlier she had admitted to Mia that she was slightly scared of the man, of anyone who came from such an organization. Yet, when the time came, she had been able to stand up to him, explain her reasons, and speak her mind. Well, part of it. The other part was with her husband. That had to be where her strength was coming from. Pure sexual tension. It had been building for two days now, and only minutes before Joseph had made it escalate. The fire that burned in her was for him. She simply used it to her advantage.

"You are insulting me by calling me a coward?" His accent was pure Middle Eastern, and his English very broken and slow, yet he sounded intelligent.

"Yes, I am." Clarisse made eye contact with him, burning his soul with her composure. "Your organization has no problems with anyone until you don't get your way. Then you take it out on everyone near you, or anyone in your way to whatever you want. That is a coward's way, sir. A decent man would sit and talk out his problems, coming to a logical conclusion with his adversary."

The table was silent. All eyes moving back and forth as if at a tennis tournament. No one had expected Her Majesty to play such an important role in this, she was simply to host the conference. Yet, she had been the only one who dared to speak the truth.

"You are very brave, Your Majesty. Queen or not, my colleagues would easily kill you." He sat, still eyeing the woman so clearly intent on speaking her mind. The tension in the room was quite unbearable to most. "I, on the other hand, I like you. No one has stood up to me since your husband." Clarisse's face softened, remembering the vast accounts of her husband's dealings with them.
"He was a strong man. It makes sense that he would have made you his Queen. I offer you a proposal, Your Majesty. We will remove the blockade IF you allow us to use Genovian ports AND arrange sanctuary here for some of our men."

Clarisse took a deep breath, drawing in the burden of such an agreement. It would free the waters, but put fear in her heart for her beloved Genovia. So this is what Rupert dealt with.

"Call off your blockade. I'm sure we can come to some understanding. However, I will have provisions of my own," Clarisse added. It was the smart thing to do, the logical thing to do.

"Very well," he nodded.

"Then we can call this conference to an end. You and I can meet whenever you like, and we will discuss our agreement. Are there any objections?" Clarisse looked around the room as dozens of silent faces answered with the relief they felt showing. "Very well then, I declare this issue closed, and meeting adjourned."

"Grandma, are you sure about this?" Mia whispered to her as they made for the doors.

"Mia, never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, and then beat you with experience. What these people need is someone to tell their wants to. I am simply going to tell them how to do without."

"Grandma, you are awesome."

"AH, well, it's not over yet. As long as these people are in the world, it never will be, I'm afraid."

"You're right."

"Hmm. Listen Mia, I'd like to ask a favor," Clarisse stopped walking, pulling Mia over to a corner.

"Go ahead, grandma. Anything..."

"You know, Joseph and I have not had very much time alone, very little actually since the wedding. I was wandering, well, if you would arrange...say a cocktail party for our guests this afternoon...to keep them occupied until they leave. I'd like to spend time with Joseph, alone," she whispered, slightly embarrassed.

"I understand completely, don't worry about a thing. But grandma, a cocktail party?"
"Umhumm, the cocktail party is a device you use to pay off obligations to people you don't want to invite for dinner." Clarisse winked at her, causing Mia to smile. She was learning, and learning quickly.

"It's over," she spoke before Joseph knew she was in the room. Clarisse moved forward, making her way to her husband.

"Over? As in ALL over?" Joseph straightened up, having almost fell asleep on the sofa. She slid herself down directly on his lap, into his arms.

"For now, yes. ALL over." Clarisse placed a soft kiss upon his lips, wrapping her arms around him.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she snickered, knowing he was finding it hard to believe. "I have the rest of the afternoon and all this evening free." She placed soft kisses down his neck. "Do you have plans, my husband?"

"Well I did. I suppose I could pick up on those where I left off at," Joseph spoke slowly, deliberately drawing the words out.

"Well, if you don't want to," Clarisse stood up, ready to walk away when Joseph scooped her up in his arms. She laughed, lowering her head onto his shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He carried her toward the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.